


Priceless

by Ristique Parlequin Elesia (yinngoh)



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Aphrodisiacs, Blackmail, Corruption, Dubious Consent, Human Trafficking, Kidnapping, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rimming, Sex Tapes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-30
Updated: 2013-10-07
Packaged: 2017-12-28 01:03:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/985793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yinngoh/pseuds/Ristique%20Parlequin%20Elesia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin/Okane Ga Nai fusion; Merlin is just a university student; until his cousin, Will, betrays him and sells Merlin in an auction to settle his heavy debts. Merlin is bought for two million pounds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prelude

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any characters in this work of fiction. The storyline is also based off Okane Ga Nai, but changed to suit this fiction's needs.

_Prelude - 4 years earlier_

 

It was pouring _and_ freezing. Merlin racked up the collar of his coat in a poor attempt to shield his face from the harsh rain and pulled his umbrella closer to him. He was making his way back to his one-bedroom apartment after another day of classes at Aston University and was currently looking forward to the warmth and comfort of his apartment.

 

Lifting his eyes up to peer at the pavement before him, he caught a glimpse of the edge of his apartment building. Shuffling his way slightly quickly, he almost missed spotting a hint of brown in his peripheral vision. Doing a quick double-take, Merlin’s eyes widened to see a bruised and battered figure huddled amongst the dirty garbage bins and used cardboard boxes stashed by the side of the building.

 

From what he could see, it was a man wearing a tattered t-shirt and soaked jeans, his face covered in dirt and bruises, water streaming down his unwashed blonde hair.

 

Brows drawn up ever-so-slightly, Merlin turned and made his way over to the man. He stopped just before the figure and asked softly, “Excuse me, are you alright?” He watched as the miserably shut eyes of said man slowly opened and eyes like the raging sea slid up to stare at his jean-clad legs dully. “You look like you’re hurt,” Merlin continued tentatively. Slowly, he took another small step towards the other man and held out his umbrella to encompass them both.

 

The man’s gaze rose up to meet Merlin’s own sky blue orbs, a hint of incredulity obvious in them.

 

Merlin smiled softly, hoping to seem as unthreatening as possible. “If you’d like, you could come to mine,” Merlin offered cautiously. “It’s not good to be out here in the rain and I think I still have some soup I could warm up if you’re hungry.”

 

He waited patiently; eyes taking in the way the man’s left arm was wound around his middle as if cradling an injury. His gaze softened compassionately as the figure before him seemed to tug at his instincts to care for the poor man left out in the cold.


	2. Sold and Bought

Another night in busy Birmingham. The streets were littered with crowds doing a little shopping before the end of the day, or just meeting up with one another for a fun night out. Stray cats were happily feasting in the leftovers thrown out behind restaurants and the area was filled with the warmth of good food and good company.

 

A large, imposing building stood proudly among other tall skyscrapers. Its spotless glass structure boasted top-class modern architecture as a dark suited man stood guard diligently by the door.

 

Deep inside, a spotlight was switched on; blindingly bright light shone onto a raised platform. Among the deceptively gentle murmur in the background, the clinking of chains from the stage drew the attention of the patrons in the room. Refined-looking men in suits of dark hues sat around small tables, professional waiters silently weaving through the area offering drinks. Some of the men were slowly turning their heads to the stage in various stages of interest.

 

                “Our next piece of merchandise is a young half-English man.” A clear voice rang out through speakers in the room. More men perked up in interest at the words and looked to the platform to see a nude, pale form being forced on his knees by two sets of hands firmly holding his arms back, denying him any leverage. The figure swayed on its knees ever-so-slightly, a dark-haired head hung limply from his shoulders, obscuring his face. “He is a college student, so he is rather old,” the voice continued, “but note his delicate skin; a smooth cream…”

 

Behind heavy maroon drapes, a face peeked out to glance once at the sea of suited men and then the naked figure on display. The man behind the curtain swallowed audibly, his face betraying his discomfort at being there.

 

                “… and this face,” the voice was saying. On cue, the hands on the ‘merchandise’ maneuvered him into a sitting position; another hand cupped the side of his face, bringing it up and in full view of their audience. The links of chain attached to a worn red collar that wound around the boy’s lithe neck was pushed to the side. A few murmurs of approval rippled through the guests, some humming in obvious interest. “He is an item of uncommonly high quality.”

 

The young figure’s dark, ebony hair hung limply as it framed his sharp face. His mouth was slack; supple cupid-bow lips parted as soft breaths escaped their depths. Sharp cheekbones drew attention to themselves, looking sharp enough to injure. The eyes, though, were a sky blue. Their beauty was muddled, however, by the glazed, dull look that had taken over them; making them seem like ones belonging to a lifeless doll’s.

 

                “His ‘back’ is, of course, virginal.” The boy’s ‘puppeteers’ each grabbed a thigh, pulling it up and back, exposing the boy’s nudity whilst holding him firmly in place - not that the boy, drugged as he was, could resist them anyway. “Or perhaps his front is too.” The pleased approval of the men grew even louder at this. “The customer who purchases him may confirm this directly with his own eyes.”

 

Pleased by the expressions of interest displayed so far, the owner of the voice raised a hand. “Then, I’ll start the bidding at five-hundred thousand.”

 

                “Five-fifty!” a loud voice immediately called from the crowd, its owner a middle-aged man with a neat moustache.

 

                “Six hundred!”

 

                “Six-fifty!” a deeper voice said, the stern-faced man raising his hand.

 

                “Seven hundred!”

 

                “Seven-fifty!” There was a pause, the men murmuring. They turned their greedy eyes onto the form on the platform whose gaze was clouded and far-away.

 

                “Eight hundred!” Someone offered boldly, to the awe of some of the other patrons.

 

                “Eight-fifty!”

 

                “One _million_!” Another challenged, the men exclaiming in surprise.

 

                “We have one million,” the announcer noted, unfazed. “Are there any further bids? No?” He paused for a short moment. “I hear nobody. Then, for one million…” he raised his gavel, preparing to seal the auction.

 

                “One, two hundred!” A firm voice called just before the gavel hit its mark, effectively halting it. The fluttering and smacking sound of paper filled the room as wads of cash fell onto the platform. “One million, two hundred thousand,” the voice repeated calmly, its owner standing over the ‘merchandise’, one extended arm grasping a briefcase from which the cash was pouring out of. “All in cash,” said the man, his mouth twisting into an arrogant smirk as his eyes stayed firmly on the small form before him.

 

* * *

 

 

The man silently approached a large, white bed; in which the sleeping form of the young man resided. Slowly, he balanced a hand by the edge of the bed and lowered himself towards the boy, their faces inches from each other. He raised his other hand to trace the boy’s lips softly, before creeping closer himself; his lips parting slightly. Laying the barest of touches between their lips, the light-haired man pulled back soon after when the boy began shifting, awaking.

 

Dark brows scrunched together before eyes that shone with much more clarity than before opened slowly. Seeing the figure looming above him, Merlin’s eyes snapped open as consciousness rushed back into his mind.

 

                “You’re awake?” asked the man above him.

 

                “This is...” Merlin began to say, but then moaned in pain as he brought up a hand to press against his temple, wincing at a throbbing headache.

 

                “Are you okay?” the man’s voice washed over him, not really taking the words in, his firm and steady tone comforting. “Shit, those bastards used drugs…” the man continued to mumble to himself. Then, he diverted his attention back to Merlin, “should I call a doctor?”

 

Sensing that he was being spoken to, Merlin ignored the pounding in his head in favour of answering softly, “n-no, I’m alright. I’m sorry.”

 

                “What the hell are you apologising for?” asked the man, his tone lying between bemused and exasperated. “I’ll bring you something to drink,” he said, rising off the bed.

 

Eyes widening in panic, Merlin’s hand shot out to grasp tightly at the man’s blood-red tie, hastily jerking his neck towards himself. Merlin watched, a little dumbfounded, as the man’s brows shot up in surprise and his own stormy blue eyes locked with Merlin’s questioningly.

 

                “Wh-what is it?” asked the man, still surprised at being caught off guard like that.

 

                “O-oh, excuse me,” Merlin quickly apologized. “I wanted to… thank you.”

 

                “Thank me?” the man echoed, straightening up once more since Merlin had released his grasp on his tie.

 

Merlin slowly laid his head back onto the plush pillow behind him, arm resting on top of the covers as he looked hesitantly at the other man. “Um, that is… you saved me, didn’t you?”

 

                “Well… yes.”

 

                “I don’t know how to thank you enough,” Merlin said softly. “You’ve been so kind to me, even though I’m just a stranger…”

 

                “Huh?” the man interjected, incredulous. _Wait a second,_ he thought to himself, surprised and speechless. _What did he just say? “A stranger”?_ Aloud, he asked, “You.. don’t remember?”

 

Somewhat confused, Merlin replied “I remember being forced into a car all of a sudden, and then…” His eyes widened and he shot up, gasping, throwing his legs off the side of the bed.

 

                “Hey! Be careful!” Admonished the man, surprised at the sudden movement. “You shouldn’t try to move too quickly or…” just as he said it, Merlin lost his footing from wobbly legs and began to fall face-first towards the hard ground. With swift reflexes, the other man shot out an arm to wrap securely around Merlin’s waist as he twisted his body to slow and soften the impact. He quickly wrapped his other arm around Merlin’s back and Merlin effectively landed safely in his arms.

 

Merlin was gasping at the dizziness the almost-fall had caused and had one hand pressed against the side of his head and another steadying himself on the man’s forearm. “I’m sorry,” Merlin apologized again quietly, “I feel… dizzy…”

 

                “I told you you’re still under the effect of those drugs!” scolded the man.

 

                “Oh! I remembered!” Merlin cut in, voicing the reason for his hasty actions. “Will, my cousin, he was with me at the time too!” He turned pleading eyes at the man whose arms were around him. “They might still be holding him in _that place_!”

 

Sighing in exasperation, the man placed gentle hands on the boy’s shoulders and eased him to sit back down onto the bed. _This isn’t how it’s supposed to be_ , he thought to himself. _Isn’t it more important to remember about the man standing right in front of you?_ Instead, he answered the boy’s hidden question. “You’re talking about William Ealdon, right?” He turned, picking up a manila envelope on the chair he had been occupying.

 

                “You know him?” Merlin asked, surprised, and a little cautiously.

 

                “Sure. I know him _real_ well,” the man said in a tone that should have had Merlin wanting to recoil warily.

 

Instead, Merlin smiled at the possibility that the man may be a friend of Will and proceeded to ask, “oh, might you be Will’s friend, then?”

 

His back to Merlin, the man scoffed and smiled bemusedly at the boy’s optimism. He turned and tossed the folder onto Merlin’s lap, “read this.” At Merlin’s confused face, he repeated, “just read it.”

 

Turning away from Merlin once more, the man began loosening and pulling off his silk tie as he continued to speak. “I’m in the money business, and William is one of my customers. That is, he thought he could pinch thirty-thousand pounds and then run.”

 

                “’Pinch’?” Merlin echoed, confusion colouring his tone.

 

                “It means he borrowed the money,” the man answered, turning back around to face Merlin as he answered.

 

                “That… That can’t be,” Merlin whispered, appalled and not wanting to believe it. He turned back to the papers he had been glancing through. “And he owes money to this Kanen-hi place too? In the _hundreds_ of thousands,” his voice became steadily softer and more shocked as he spoke.

 

                “It’s a casino with mafia behind it,” the man elaborated for his benefit. “He was probably another amateur who walked in thinking he was a big shot, and they swindled him for all he was worth. That’s where you come in.” The man watched silently as Merlin’s eyes became to widen, seeing as the information began to piece themselves together in his head. “You were sold in one of Kanen-hi’s auctions in order to settle William’s debt.”

 

                “Then, Will too..?” Merlin asked, aghast and afraid.

 

                “Of course not!” the man said loudly, annoyance marring his face, making him seem all the more threatening with an unlit cigarette dangling by his lips. “As if there’s anyone in this universe strange enough to want to buy _him_.” He raised a hand to pull away the cigarette, continuing offhandedly, “then again, there are _other_ ways of getting some money out of that guy’s body. His kidney, liver, cornea… Cut those out and sell them, and you might get a little money.”

 

Merlin gasped, horrified by the words the other man were uttering so casually. “I have to go find him,” Merlin whispered, unaware he was saying the words aloud.

 

                “Excuse me?” the other man said. “What the hell are you saying?” He caught Merlin’s wrists in his hands as the boy made to leave once again. When Merlin merely continued to struggle weakly against him, he said, “William _sold_ you to save himself!”

 

                “He would never do something like that!” said Merlin, as if the thought of it wasn’t even possible to fathom. “We’re cousins…!”

 

Having enough, the man pulled Merlin closer towards him harshly as he scolded the naïve boy, “so what? There’re millions of people out there who wouldn’t hesitate to sell their family!” When he saw that the boy was simply going to argue back, he ground his teeth and said in a low voice, “stay away from William. You’ll just get tangled up in his mess again and get hurt! Why can’t you understand that I’m saying this for your own sake!”

 

Merlin turned his head away from the man , still not wanting to believe that _Will_ , his cousin and best childhood friend and _only remaining living relative_ , would be capable of doing something like that of his own volition. “But, Will is… He’s my only…”

 

                “‘Will, Will…’,” the man mocked angrily. Fed up with trying to ‘peacefully’ talk things over, his hands tightened their grip around Merlin’s wrists as he said, “you can avert your eyes from reality all you want, but it won’t change the fact that he _doesn’t give a damn about you_!”

 

                “That’s not true!” Merlin shouted back, anger welling up inside him at this man who thought he knew Will better than Merlin did.

 

                “Admit it!” The man argued back swiftly, not giving Merlin a chance to speak. “You were used and betrayed! It’d be better for you too if he just died!”

 

Horrified by the man’s words, Merlin renewed his struggled as he shouted denies. One of his hands slipped free from the man’s hold and lashed out at him, catching him just below his eye with his nails, creating a cut deep enough to bleed.

 

Eyes widening at the act of rebellion from the boy, and his head clearing somewhat from the injury, he asked, “Merlin?” calling the boy by his name for the first time in surprise. “You…”

 

                “Shut up! You don’t even know anything!” Merlin was shouting now, his body shaking as his emotions warred between his faith in Will and the news that this man had told him about Will. “You’ve got nothing to do with this! You’re just a _stranger_!”

 

                “‘Nothing to do with it’?” the man repeated, raising his free hand to swipe at the cut on his cheek. “‘A stranger’?” He looked at the blood staining his fingertips as those words whirled in his head before he clenched his fist and a dark smile crossed his face. “Now that’s not quite true, is it?”

 

Enough with trying to pacify the boy before him, he used his other hand still gripping one of Merlin’s wrists to throw him carelessly back onto the bed, following him and looming above Merlin as one of his strong hands pinned Merlin down by his shoulder and another pulled hard enough on his pyjamas top to pop some off the buttons. “We’ve got a much stronger bond than blood between us!”

 

Letting go of Merlin’s shirt, the man caught both of Merlin’s wrist in one of his broad palms instead and pinned them above Merlin’s head, the awkward angle eliciting pained noises from the boy. “You still don’t understand your position, do you?” His other hand released Merlin’s shoulder and trailed down to grasp at the band of the boy’s sleeping pants. “I _bought_ you. You’re mine,” he growled sliding off the soft material from Merlin’s legs. “Do you even understand for what use you were sold as merchandise? Or who has now become your owner?”

 

Merlin clenched his eyes shut in embarrassment, lips quivering, as he felt the last brush of his pants disappear and he was left bare before the older man.

 

The man kept his gaze locked on Merlin’s face as he lowered his head down to Merlin’s chest and flicked a tongue out at one of his nipples. This wrung out a surprised gasp from Merlin whose eyes snapped open and stared, horrified, as the man swirled his tongue around his nipple.

 

                “‘Use’? You can’t mean…” Merlin’s heart began to pound when the other man merely smirked in response before lifting his head up to reply.

 

                “You won’t be able to move around much anyway until the drugs wear off. You might as well enjoy this too,” he smiled ominously at Merlin’s wide eyes and quivering form. _I’ll teach you_ , he thought. _And this time, you won’t forget_ …

 

* * *

 

 

Merlin’s face hovered inches off the sheets, broken gasps escaping his lips. “N-no, st-ah!” His mouth hung open, gasping in air and heaving out soft noises as a trail of saliva dribbled down his chin. The soles of his feet pushed against the soft sheets, tense and on his knees, head bowed between his shoulders.

 

                “They said you’re a virgin, so I’m being gentle with you,” the deceivingly tender voice of the man rang out.

 

His shoulders giving out from under him, Merlin’s forehead pressed into the bedding and his fingers pulled at the sheets harshly, quivering in their force. “S-stop!” he cried out weakly.

 

                “See, if I don’t do a thorough job of preparing you…” The voice continued, the man pouring a generous amount of lube onto his palm and fingers. The bottle landed on the bed with a dull thud. He had a hand restraining one of Merlin’s arms behind his back in a twist just enough not to sting as he sat behind the boy’s trembling, naked form.

 

“If you don’t want to be in a lot of pain, just keep still.” Raising a still fully-clothed arm, he traced the cleft of Merlin’s smooth arse down to his delicate pink pucker before slipping one digit in.

 

Head shooting up, Merlin cried out at the intrusion, mouth gaping in shock as his belly swirled in discomfort at the strange feeling. “What are you doing?!” He stuttered out, limbs renewing their effort to escape his captor’s immovable grasp.

 

The other man didn’t even seem affected by Merlin’s efforts as he continued to ‘prepare’ him methodically, the sound of his breathing even. He curled and moved his finger around before pressing another one in.

 

                “N-no more…” Merlin whimpered, tears leaking from his eyes. “Why are you doing this? We’re both men, this..!”

 

Behind him, the man’s lips curled into a rueful smile. “You’re saying this is abnormal?” he asked evenly. “Do you really think you can say that?” He withdrew his two fingers only to return with three, causing Merlin to jerk and whine at the stretch. “When you’re getting hard again so quickly from being violated by a man’s fingers?”

 

He had easily found Merlin’s prostate soon after the second finger was added, and was now stroking the bundle of nerves with three fingers and thoroughly enjoying the more desperate gasps and sounds tinged with pleasure. He wrapped another arm around Merlin’s waist to grasp at the boy’s hard erection. “And I just sucked you off only a moment ago.”

 

                “No! I--” Merlin’s hands pushed feebly at the firm chest behind him, his body jerking in white-hot pleasure whenever the man stroked something inside him, making his body confused with his mind.

 

                “Just be honest,” the man said, rubbing his thumb across the slit of his cock, tightening his grasp and stroking the hard length as he licked a trail outside the shell of Merlin’s ear. With a breathy moan, Merlin came once more; painting white strips of come on the man’s fingers.

 

 _Two men... abnormal?_ The man thought, his eyes drawn to the slickness in his fingers. _I don’t need anyone to tell me that. I know already. Every time I dreamt of taking you, I kept thinking it was weird. But, I just don’t care,_ he resolved, bringing his hand up to lap at the come with his tongue.

 

Merlin lay panting, exhausted from both the drugs and his release, eyes widening in fear as the man returned to loom over him. His arms were grabbed, and his legs rearranged to wrap around the other man’s hips.

 

 _You can call it abnormal or whatever the hell you want._  Pushing himself forwards, the man thought; _I want you_.

 

Feeling the undeniable burn of a heavy, hard-as-steel cock pushing its way into him, Merlin threw his head back and cried out loudly in pain, gasping frantically to get in more oxygen and stay calm, eyes clenching at the feeling of being ripped apart from the inside out.

 

 _All of you_ , the man’s fingers gripped Merlin’s pale thighs tightly. Seated half-way, the man’s eyes glanced up to see Merlin watching him with pure terror in his eyes, eyes that were puffy, red and swimming with tears. “I keep telling you, relax a little!” He said through gritted teeth, his self-control only holding him back enough not to thrust his way in without a care.

 

Merlin’s mouth was opening and closing like a fish as he fought to get air into his lungs. Tears were freely flowing down his cheeks, brows drawn together and eyes clenching shut once more as his head tipped back and hands pulled at sheets in a futile attempt to lessen the pain.

 

The other man watched him struggle with his pain and thought, _what the hell am I doing..?_ Suddenly, he fell forward, arms circling Merlin’s shoulders in a hasty embrace as he called out the boy’s name. Almost immediately, Merlin’s own hands reached up to grasp at his shirt, pulling and clenching his fingers in the fabric.

 

Merlin’s eyes were still shut tightly even as he unknowingly pulled the other man closer to him, unconsciously seeking the warmth and comfort it brought.

 

The man himself was curled protectively around the young man, calloused hands threaded in silky black hair as he clenched his jaw at the sight of the younger man under him. Staring unseeingly before him, he thought, appalled by his actions, _didn’t I want to treasure him_?

 

An image of a bright young man swathed in layers of warm clothing came to the forefront of his mind, smiling softly at him. _Take care of him with my own two hands, so that he’d never be hurt…_ He was brought back to himself, drawing his head back to look at the tear-stained face before him as soft dark locks of hair slid through his fingers. _So what am I doing..?_

 

His thoughts were once more drawn back to a memory; looking up through blurred vision at the open, smiling face of a dark-haired, blue-eyed teen holding out an umbrella before him. _What I wanted, what I truly wanted.._

 

* * *

 

 

The man sat, shirt still unbuttoned, on the edge of the bed, his head turned slightly to gaze upon the form behind him.

 

Merlin was curled up tight into himself, legs close to his chest and arms wrapped around his middle. Bruises and marks riddled his pale skin and his face was covered by his hair, face turned to press into the pillow under him. Soft, hitching breaths were all that remained of his cries.

 

The other man watched him silently, regret seeping into his eyes and the way his shoulders slumped ever-so-slightly. He picked up the discarded sleep-shirt Merlin had worn earlier and proceeded to drape it over the quivering form slowly, wanting to give the boy at least some sense of privacy. Just as he lowered the article of clothing, he heard a soft, trembling voice from the boy below.

 

                “Please…” Merlin breathed out shakily, “let me go.” He didn’t even react when the man let go of the shirt to drop it over his naked form. “I… have to go. Will is… he…”

 

The other man straightened his posture and turned his gaze away. “Sure, I can let you go,” he said in a simple, conceding voice that had Merlin looking up with surprise and hope. “… once you’ve paid me back my money. The money Will borrowed _and_ the cost of winning you at the auction. Add in a few more expenses, and it’s two million pounds.”

 

Merlin slowly used his hands to raise himself up slowly, his face falling more and more as the man spoke.

 

                “From today on, I’ll make it your own personal debt.”

 

                “No… There’s no way…” Merlin muttered, despairing.

 

                “You’re mine until I receive full payment,” the man continued. “You want to be free, don’t you?” _What the hell am I saying?_ he thought to himself. _He’s forgotten me, and rejected me… And yet I’m still going to struggle with this?_ He scowled bitterly, the memory from before flashing before his eyes once more.

 

                “Two _million_ pounds,” Merlin whispered hopelessly.

 

                “Don’t worry,” the other man said in a jovial-tone, approaching him. “I’ll let you earn it.” With that, he flicked his wrist and threw slips of hundred-dollar bills to rain down upon Merlin who watched with shocked eyes. _That’s right,_ thought the man. _If it means I can have you, I’ll tie you up like this; with money, with anything I can…_ “Starting today, I’ll buy your body for five thousand pounds each time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta-ed! Any mistakes are my own.


	3. Family

“He’s offered his home as collateral,” Leon read from his report dutifully. “It’s not a bad property, but the register’s a mess.”

 

                “Forget about it then,” said the man - _Arthur Pendragon_. “Any other prospects for collecting the money?”

 

                “Yes. There’s some real estate in outer London as well.”

 

_Shit_ , thought Arthur. _What a bad aftertaste this is leaving me. And it’s all Merlin’s fault too! Believing in trash like William just because they’re cousins.._ His hands unconsciously clenched, crumpling the papers held in them.

 

                “Err.. shall we just refuse to finance an additional loan and collect the money immediately, then?” asked Leon cautiously, watching his boss shaking in visible anger. A knock at the door soon diverted his attention.

 

                “Hello darlings! _Morgana_ is here to return his money!” a _very_ familiar voice rang out in an entirely too-happy tone.

 

                “So there’s nothing except that land in outer London?” Arthur continued on, unfazed and ignoring the new presence.

 

                “There are others, but this is the only thing that seems to be of any value,” Leon answered evenly, already used to this sort of occurrences. “His factory in the city is already--”

 

                “Now hold on right there! What is the meaning of this; pretending to go about your business and ignoring me!” cried out the beautiful newcomer, dressed in an impressively figure-hugging outfit. “Is this the kind of attitude you show to childhood friends? And in the first place, I’m a _customer_!”

 

                “Don’t flounce in here acting like my client, you manipulative hag!” Arthur spat out distastefully.

 

                “‘Manipulative’?” echoed the woman, appalled as she stopped right before Arthur’s table. “If you can’t perceive my overwhelming charm and beauty, make an appointment with the ophthalmologist! Right now!”

 

Arthur rose from his seat to stare the woman down. “You can make yourself an appointment with the psychiatrist!” He countered before turning to Leon standing by the side, “And what the hell were you doing?”

 

                “Please forgive me,” Leon immediately apologized. “I tried to turn her away, but Miss Le Fay insisted on seeing you personally..”

 

                “Hmm Perce, I want my coffee with no sugar, okay?” ordered Morgana as she sat down on the couch, nose high, befitting her holier-than-thou presence.

 

                “Excuse me, but I have orders to serve nothing but salt water to you, my lady,” answered Percival as he too entered Arthur’s office. Morgana merely harrumphed in annoyance and turned her face away, pouting with her chin still held high.

 

                “Oh yeah,” Arthur noted abruptly. “The two of you are blood-related, right?” He asked his two assistants.

 

                “Well, yes,” answered Leon, unsure.

 

                “We _are_ twins,” added Leon as if he was surprised Arthur was even asking.

 

                “This is just hypothetical,” Arthur began slowly, “but say one of you turned out to be a real bastard, who was just taking advantage of the other..”

 

                “Excuse me?” said Leon, confused.

 

                “Like I said, it’s a hypothetical situation.”

 

                “Okay…”

 

                “And say, out of the kindness of my heart, I revealed the truth to the ignorant victim. Now, you’ve got your scum-of-the-earth relative, and me, a stranger with overflowing good will. Who would you trust?” He asked seriously.

 

Both Leon and Percival merely looked at their boss, stunned. _‘Overflowing with good will’_? They both thought simultaneously, eyeing the dark aura surrounding Arthur. _Your face looks like you just got back from killing two or three people…_

Even Morgana was peeking back from her perch on the couch, curious at Arthur’s ‘hypothetical’ question.

 

                “Well, it’s true that in this business, it’s no rarity to see members of a family turn on one another,” Percival began carefully.

 

                “In fact, there are many cases where blood relations are the cause of deep hatred,” Leon added in.

 

                “But,” Morgana’s strong voice cut in. “Even knowing all of that, isn’t it only human to place trust in one’s relatives?”

 

                “Why?” said Arthur, Leon and Percival in unison; blank faces directed towards Morgana.

 

Morgana looked at the three men incredulously before turning around, melodramatically placing a hand to her cheek in woe, “a man who is never deeply moved by anything,” she said, meaning Percival. “A man who has no compassion even for relatives,” she continued with Leon. “And a man who shows no mercy to traitors regardless of blood ties,” - Arthur - “just wouldn’t understand, I suppose!” She answered simply, knowing she was dealing with a trio of men on which the meaning of ‘human empathy’ was lost.

 

                “I’ve had enough for today,” said Arthur, placing down his papers. “Leon, get that woman’s money and get her out of here. And about that additional loan, lend him the money.”

 

                “Are you sure?” asked Leon.

 

                “But make his daughter a co-signer,” Arthur continued. “If it comes to it, you can always make money off women. In any case, his company won’t last another two months. Lend him all he wants, and when he’s trapped, we’ll strip him of everything he owns. If he refuses, we collect everything he owes immediately. Got it?” He ordered firmly, glancing back.

 

                “Yes, sir,” the twins answered dutifully. With that, Arthur left.

 

Morgana stood from the couch and walked a few steps towards the door, eyeing in curiously. “Something’s off.”

 

                “What is?” asked Percival.

 

                “The way Arthur’s acting,” she elaborated, tapping a delicately manicured finger on her chin. “This is just my instincts as a woman, but… I mean, he’s usually more shrewd and harder to approach, isn’t he? That’s the kind of man Arthur is.”

 

“His work is perfect as usual, but he does seem a bit restless and preoccupied,” Leon conceded.

 

“And did you see that scratch under his eye?” Morgana motioned on her own face, turning to the twins. “Who in the world managed to scratch _that_ walking killing machine?”

 

“Now that you mention it, he’s beginning to look more and more befitting of his job, don’t you think?” said Leon, appealing to the fact that he was basically like one of the mafia.

 

“I won’t lift a finger for you if you end up sinking in the River Thames, Leon,” Percival piped up.

 

* * *

 

 

The elevator dinged and Arthur stepped out, thinking to himself as he made his way to his flat. _Anyway, I’ve got to cool my head and create an atmosphere where we can talk to each other._ He silently removed his shoes and padded through the main hallway. _Do my best not to scare him.. Just interact with him very calmly…_ Releasing a heavy sigh, he thought amusedly to himself, _I feel like I’m taming some kind of wild animal._

 

Then, he was dragged out of his thoughts by the sound of running water. Turning his head, his gaze went to the open doorway to the kitchen. Inside, Merlin stood dazedly by the sink, a now-filled glass of water in his hands. Arthur stopped under the doorway and watched the young man.

 

As Merlin raised the glass to his lips, he asked; “do you feel okay being up?”

 

At the sudden sound of his voice, Merlin flinched _hard_ and the glass slid from his fingers, crashing loudly to the floor. Arthur’s eyes widened at this reaction whilst Merlin dropped to his knees straightaway, mumbling hoarse apologies.

 

                “It’s dangerous! Don’t touch it!” Arthur scolded, going into the kitchen quickly. He was too late, as a sharp edge pricked Merlin’s fingers. At the soft hiss of pain, Arthur asked, “did you cut yourself?”

 

Turning as the shadow of the man loomed over him, Merlin quickly recoiled, cradling his injured hand in another as he shuffled away from the other man in fear. Their gazes locked and Arthur’s eyes narrowed slightly.

 

_He can’t even bear to be touched by me?_ he thought.

 

Frightened, Merlin began shaking in fear of the man’s reaction and he quickly opened his mouth, stuttering; “U-uh, I’ll.. clean it up right away.”

 

Arthur’s mouth opened and closed once before he frowned. _Forget ‘talking’. At this point, there’s really nothing I can do but force him to be mine_. He thought, watching as Merlin attempted to carefully gather the broken shards of glass with his bare hands. _No, I can’t! It would just be the same as last night. I don’t want to do something like that again.._

 

“Look, just show me your hand. We’ve got to take care of it,” he slowly reached out to carefully grasp Merlin’s injured hand in his.

 

Merlin turned to look at him, surprised at the gentle touch. They watched each other for a second before Arthur’s eyes widened.

 

                “You..” he said, before reaching out with another hand towards Merlin’s face.

 

Thinking the man was about to strike out at him, Merlin flinched, shutting his eyes and turning his face away. His eyes snapped open, however, when the man’s hand simply curved itself onto his forehead.

 

                “You idiot! You’ve got a serious fever!” Arthur said, feeling his raised temperature. “What do you think you’re doing wobbling around on your feet? Get back in bed!” Without a thought, he swiftly swept both arms under Merlin and lifted him up easily, taking quick steps down the hall and kicking open the door to his bedroom.

 

                “But, the glass..” Merlin argued feebly.

 

                “Shut up!” Arthur yelled, dropping him on the bed unceremoniously. “I’ll bring you an antipyretic, so just stay there.” He yanked the duvet over Merlin’s form up to his chin before striding off to his wardrobe.

 

                “Uhm.. Okay..” Merlin said uncertainly. His blue eyes peeked out from the covers to watch as the man shuffled around, tossing boxes and articles of clothing behind him.

 

                “Shit, where the hell is it? I thought I kept it around here,” Arthur muttered in mounting frustration. As the pile of strewn clothing and knick-knacks grew, he said, “I don’t usually need to use any medicine, so…”

 

                “U-um, I’m really alright,” Merlin called out from the bed, feeling somewhat bad for the man. “I get fevers like this all the time.”

 

                “That’s even worse!” Arthur shouted back at him. Before he could say any more, his cellphone rang. The screen flashed _Morgana_ and he answered irritably; “I’m busy right now! How many times do I have to tell you?! The next time you give me another frivolous call, I’ll bar you from the office!” he stood up, shoving some suits on hangars apart.

 

His eyes widened as he spotted the dusty first aid box hidden right at the back and he abruptly exclaimed, “there it is!”

 

                “What the hell’s going on?” demanded Morgana from where she was still in his office, the twins by her side also wide-eyed at the sudden exclamation by their boss. The only answer she received was the dial tone, however, and the three of them stared dumbly at her phone.

 

                “I found it, Merlin!” Arthur called out, before stopping abruptly at the clear gaze Merlin was directing at him.

 

Arthur dropped himself onto a chair and thought, _am I an idiot? If I was going to waste time looking for the medicine, it would’ve been faster to just send someone to buy some.._ He shook his head and pulled out the sheet of pills, pushing one out, “one pill at a time,” he instructed, dropping it into Merlin’s open palm.

 

He read up on the precautions sheet included in the package and interrupted Merlin just as the boy was bringing his hand up to down the pill, “don’t take it yet!” Merlin froze in an aborted movement and looked up at Arthur in confusion. “Just wait a minute,” he ordered Merlin before striding off out of the room, door slamming carelessly behind him.

 

In the room, Merlin’s eyes widened and he flinched when noisy sounds of glass breaking and metal on metal could be heard from outside. He clenched his hands on the comforter around him as he waited obediently.

 

Not too long after, Arthur returned and dumped a breakfast-in-bed tray laden with a steaming bowl of porridge onto Merlin’s lap, waving the box of pills and saying “eat. It says here that they shouldn’t be taken on an empty stomach.” A pause. “You didn’t have anything to eat since yesterday, did you? You should at least have a few bites…” He trailed off. _Of course there’s no way he’d eat something from me,_ Arthur scoffed internally. “Well, you don’t have to force yourself if you don’t want to.”

 

                “No…” Merlin’s soft voice caught Arthur’s attention, who looked up to see Merlin gazing at the bowl before him. “Th-Thank you… I’ve been living alone all this time, so it’s been a while since anyone has done something like this for me…”

 

Arthur sighed, admitting; “Well, it’s my first time doing something like this for anyone,” he clasped his hands together staring unseeingly at them.

 

Merlin’s gaze was drawn to the other man’s hands and he was surprised to see them absolutely covered in cuts and scratches.

 

                “But well, I’m sure it’s edible,” Arthur quickly went on to reassure. “I didn’t put anything weird in it…”

 

Merlin simply picked up the ceramic spoon carefully and tried a scoop, blowing on the hot concoction carefully. His face betrayed no reaction as he paused slightly after the first taste, but then continued to scoop up the meal not-so-hesitantly afterwards.

 

_What’s this?_ Arthur thought, watching the other man eat silently. _I thought he was terrified and watched my every move, but now…_ He frowned at the lax, unguarded form in front of him. _What an idiot. But… I guess I’m kind of an idiot too,_ Arthur sighed, _getting nervous and excited of stupid little things…_

 

Later, Arthur handed over a set of band-aids to Merlin and told him to cover up the cut from earlier, not wanting Merlin to get an infection through the open wound.

 

Merlin considered the strips in his hand before he tore away some and held them out toward the man standing at the side of his bed, who paused mid-sentence when Merlin timidly asked him to do the same with his own injuries. Arthur contemplated this as he gazed at his cut-up fingers.

 

Both agreeing, they ended up with almost matching band-aids on their fingers, like a promise.

 

Arthur’s gaze softened as he was once more pulled into his memories of a similar kindess and a miniscule smile touched his lips. He shook himself out of it though and pulled on his jacket, “I’ve got to head back to the office. Make sure to get some rest.”

 

                “Um,” Merlin called out hesitantly. “I’m sorry… about scratching you before. I’m really--”

 

His voice was cut off by the sharp ringing of a phone by the bedside. Arthur walked over and picked up the receiver, “Yes? Yes,” he paused, considering, “what? What the--! William!” Arthur spat.

 

Merlin’s eyes widened at the name and he threw back the covers, “Will? Is it Will?” he asked urgently, seemingly energized once more. “Please, let me speak to him!” He reached out  for the phone, which Arthur pulled out of reach easily.

 

                “Absolutely not. He doesn’t have anything good to say.

 

Spinning around nimbly, Merlin zoned in on the stationary keypad for the phone on the bedside table and hit the speaker button. “Will!”

 

                “M-Merlin? Is that you?”

 

                “Will, where are you?”

 

                “Help me, Merlin! They’ve still got me!” Will’s voice exclaimed pathetically, “if you don’t come, they might kill me!”

 

Before he could reply, Merlin was shoved out of the way as Arthur reclaimed the conversation to the hand-held phone. “Glad to hear it,” he replied evenly, easily pinning both of Merlin’s wrists in a one-handed grasp. By his side, Merlin yanked at his hands in a futile attempt to escape Arthur’s grip.

 

“Paying with your life will be a cheap recompense for thinking you could bilk money from me,” Arthur continued in a pleasant tone. “Make sure they rub you out in the most profitable manner.”

 

Merlin had attempted to pry his hands apart to break the hold but to no use and was now bent over his captive hands, “let go!”

 

Arthur ignored him and instead ordered Will to hand the phone over to the person who gave him Arthur’s number, knowing exactly who would be on the other end with Will. Speaking promptly, he soon replaced the phone onto its stand, hanging up.

 

Having been released, Merlin’s body slumped in defeat, turning his head away from Arthur and gripping his clothes tightly.

 

Sighing, Arthur asked in disbelief, “You _still_ want to believe in William? Think about it. If you were him, would you really ask someone you cared about to go back to such a dangerous place?”

 

Merlin’s head lifted slightly and he bit his lip, frowning. “The truth is… I thought it was strange, and even with what happened now, I thought that maybe I was just being deceived.” His hands clenched around the soft duvet covers. “But Will is the only family I have left. I didn’t want to believe.. that Will would do something like this to me,” his voice wavered, and he sniffled softly, tears threatening to spill over in his eyes.

 

Arthur eyed the trembling boy before him, Morgana’s words from earlier being pulled up in his mind; _… isn’t it only human to place trust in one’s relatives?_ Arthur bowed his head thinking, _No. Merlin simply wants to believe. He’s only trying to cling to the idea of family._

 

Watching the pitiful form beside him, Arthur reached out, a firm hand splayed itself over the side of Merlin’s head, gently pulling so that Merlin was pulled into his protective embrace. _Are you afraid to admit that you’re alone?_ “If you still want to meet Will, fine. I’ll let you see him.”

 

                “What..?” Merlin said, surprised. “Really?”

 

                “Yeah,” Arthur replied simply. _If it were me, I’d have never left him alone. But the one Merlin needs… isn’t me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta-ed! All mistakes are my own.


	4. Russian Roulette

“Are the preparations complete?”

 

                Leon closed the boot and nodded, “yes, sir.” He turned and looked on curiously at the sight of Arthur with an arm wrapped around a smaller, dark-haired young man.

 

                “Go on then,” Arthur said as he pulled open one of the back doors, motioning for Merlin to get in.

 

By the side, his two employees watched, shocked; both thinking: _the boss… opened the door for someone?_

 

                “Um…” Merlin stuttered, unsure. Arthur hummed and paused in the act of closing the door, waiting. Merlin looked up and pursed his lips before saying steadily, “thank you.”

 

Arthur blinked, then his expression softened ever-so-slightly before he shut the door. Percival walked to Arthur’s side, speaking up, “Boss, are you sure this is a good idea? Going there.. I don’t think they’re just going to let u walk out unscathed.”

 

                “You’re probably right,” Arthur said, mostly to himself. Then, he turned to his two trusted men and said firmly, “let’s go.”

 

Inside the car, he looked out at the glittering city lights. _All I have to do is force you into a corner, where you’ll have no one else to rely on but me._

 

* * *

 

The car came to a stop and the doors opened. Both guards at the entrance bowed and one spoke, “Welcome, _Master_ Pendragon,” the smugness evident in his voice. “Welcome to Kanen-hi.”

 

Arthur’s grip across Merlin’s shoulders tightened slightly, hoping to soothe the young man who was already feeling nervous at the twisted leers of the guards.

 

The doors were opened to reveal a grand, yet currently empty, casino. Walking inside, Merlin’s eyes widened as he caught sight of a familiar figure. “W-will!”

 

Said man swiveled around in surprise, jaw dropping at seeing Merlin there. “Merlin! You.. you look good! Better than I thought you would,” he mumbled the last comment nervously.

 

                “So do you,” Arthur’s imposing voice cut in; causing Will to flinch back visibly. “We haven’t seen each other since the day you came to me for money. Planned to bilk me from the start, did you?”

 

                “N-no! Of course not!” Will denied hastily.

 

                “Now, now. Why don’t you give the poor lad a break, Pendragon?” A low voice drawled. “I didn’t invite you here today to discuss such petty matters after all.”

 

                “Oh? Is it all that petty comparent to a fraudulent casino that swindles novices of their cash?” Arthur smoothly refuted, the corner of his lips curled arrogantly. “Right, _Cenred_?”

 

                “Bastard,” a bodyguard scowled, “how dare you address the boss like that..!”

 

Cenred simply raised a hand to silence the man before smiling benevolently at Arthur, unfazed. “Let me make this clear; I merely want to make a deal with you - nice and peacefully.” His dark eyes slid to the side to pin Merlin in place. “Allow me to get right to the point. I want you to return Merlin to me.”

 

Merlin froze and he could hear his heart thudding in his chest. He couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from the man in front of him, and yet he so desperately wanted to get away from him.

 

                “Of course, I don’t expect this for free,” Cenred continued lightheartedly, his eyes never leaving Merlin’s form. “I’ll repay you what you paid for him and put an extra hundred thousand on top. How about it?”

 

                “I see,” Arthur noted easily. “You’re planning on reselling him. So you must’ve found a buyer who’s willing to pay even more.

 

                “You wound me, Pendragon; that you would think such a thing. Don’t you misunderstand me, Merlin. A gentleman has appeared who has learned of your unfortunate circumstances and simply wishes to help you. He has even said that he would adopt you as his son.”

 

                “And he said he’d pay my debts too!” Will’s excited voice cut in brazenly.

 

                “Will…” Merlin tore his eyes away from Cenred and locked onto Will’s enthusiastic face.

 

                “I’ll have my freedom back!” Will said, smiling widely and speaking hurriedly, as if delivering a sales pitch to Merlin. His face looked pinched though, the smile not as genuine. “And you’ll be completely taken care of. Sounds good, right? So we’ve got a deal, right Merls?”

 

                “Will,” Merlin grit out, his brows pinched together even as he heard Will speak to him so familiarly, like always. “I don’t think this is a good idea. If you borrow something, you should work hard to repay it yourself. Your way of thinking and lifestyle would change too. If you don’t change yourself, the same thing might just happen again.”

 

                “Wha- Who the hell do you think you are, preaching to me?” Will shouted.

 

                “Please, Will. I’ll help you and work too..”

 

                “Shut up! You should just be quiet and do as I say, Merlin!” Will yelled, pointing a finger at him.

 

                “William is right, mister Emrys,” Cenred’s voice slipped into the conversation. “Reality isn’t as kind as you believe. Trust me, just accept my proposal. Lord Odin is a man of honour and high social standing. He is a fine gentleman..”

 

                “Sure, on the surface,” Arthur decided to butt in as well. He leisurely pulled out a cigarette and lit it, breathing in once before continuing, “he also has some habits that can’t be spoken of in polite society, doesn’t he.” His eyes dropped once to Merlin. “Either he’ll be ‘broken in’ by sadists until he goes crazy, or cannibals will eat him alive.”

 

He looked Cenred in the eye, unflinching, as if commenting on common hobbies. “It is, after all, a club for those with inhumane tendencies to hunt for their next prey.”

 

Arthur’s imagination supplied a twisted image of Merlin kneeling, completely naked save for the thick leather collar around his neck connected to a long chain. His head was bent and his arms were pulled behind him harshly. He thought that if Merlin were to look up, he would see dull, soulless eyes; none of that thunderous spark that he knew.

 

“He wouldn’t even be treated as a human being.” Arthur’s gaze pinned Will with cold eyes. “You intend to sell Merlin with complete understanding of this. Isn’t that right, _William_.”

 

Hands flying up in reflexive defence, Will squeaked unflatteringly before hastily denying such a thing.

 

                “As long as you can save your own skin, whatever happens to Merlin…” Arthur was concluding simply, until a glance at Merlin’s grief-stricken profile stopped him and he scoffed in annoyance. “Anyway, it’s too late. _I_ won Merlin at the auction…”

 

                “That was an invalid transaction!” Cenred’s indignant voice called out. Arthur looked up, brows raised slightly.

 

 “That auction was for members only. It was a mistake to hand over the merchandise to someone who falsified their identity and slipped inside. Come now Pendragon, just take the money and leave.”

 

                “You’ll have to try harder than that,” Arthur raised the cigarette to his lips fluidly. “I was at that auction acting as a proxy for a member. Now that I’ve paid the money and taken charge of him, Merlin belongs to me.” He inhaled from the fag pleasantly, exhaling smoke towards Cenred who coughed amateurishly.

 

                “Then how about this?” Cenred said, voice tight from the smoke. “You and I do some gambling of our own.” Seeing Arthur look at him expectantly, he continued, “if you win, I’ll contact Odin and decline his offer. I’ll even refund your money and throw in an extra five hundred thousand pounds.

 

“Not only will you acquire Merlin for free, but you’ll earn another five hundred without lifting a finger. If you should lose, you’ll return that boy to me. Of course, there will be no refund. What do you say?”

 

                “If I win, you pay an extra two _million._ Call it a nuisance fee. And you will transfer all the certificates of debt you have for William to me,” Arthur bartered. Merlin turned towards him, confused just as William stepped forward and asked, “me? Why?”

 

                “If you’ll accept my conditions, I’ll play your little game,” Arthur continued, ignoring Will’s outburst. _If I can’t cut Will out of Merlin’s heart, then I’ll just have to take him too._ He saw Cenred’s expression weighing up the options before the man spoke.

 

                “Well then, I have a few additional conditions myself. If you lose, you will close your financing company and disappear from Birmingham. And as an apology for the blatant disrespect you have shown me, don’t expect to leave here unscathed,” the message carried a clear warning as all the dark-suited men in the room scowled angrily at Arthur.

 

                “Agreed,” Arthur complied without a hitch. “Let’s get this thing started.

 

* * *

 

After confirming the money and papers involved, Cenred led them over to a table. “Tonight the establishment is reserved for you, Pendragon, but we’re both busy men. I’m sure you prefer a game that can be settled swiftly.”

 

Leon and Percival, standing unobtrusively at the sides, eyed the proceedings before Leon’s sharp eyes caught movement by his side and he tensed, witnessing one man slipping a hand into his jacket and pulling out a gun.

 

                “I’ll explain the rules..” Cenred was interrupted with the sound of a cocking gun and grappling as Leon grabbed the gun in the man’s hand, pulling it to the side so that it was aimed harmlessly towards the ground just as he himself pulled out a knife and placed it right under the other man’s jaw.

 

Baffled by the sudden movements, the other man gulped at the sudden appearance of Leon’s sleek blade pressing his throat even as Leon spoke, “You can’t pull the trigger if the cylinder won’t rotate. Boss, what would you like to do?”

 

Arthur looked over at the commotion uninterestedly before ordering, “let him go, Leon. It’s just a demonstration.”

 

                “Yes, sir,” Leon answered, unquestioning, and stepped back.

 

The other man rubbed his neck for a moment, scowling at Leon before pushing aside the revolver’s catridge and ejecting all of its bullets.

 

                “The rules are simple,” Cenred continued to explain. “Only one bullet is loaded, and we will take turns to pull the trigger.” The suited man demonstrated by filling one ammunition slot with a single, odd-looking bullet, and pushing it back in. “The unlucky one will be the loser.”

 

Raising the gun up to the side of his head, the man pulled the trigger and a loud gunshot was heard. Merlin recoiled at the shock, eyes widening before realizing what had happened.

 

                “Of course, the bullet is filled with only red ink, so there’s no need to worry,” Cenred explained. “I had the fun and bullets made precisely for this game. But well, if one so desired, the gun could also shoot real bullets.” He called over another man to bring a new gun and bullet and placed them before Arthur.

 

“I’d hate for you to think I was trying to cheat you. So, you’ll have no doubts if you load it yourself, right?”

 

                “Why, thank you,” said Arthur in a sugar-sweet tone. He took his time loading the bullet, thinking to himself. _What a joke. He accepted my conditions because he’s fully confident that he’ll win, which means…_

 

                “Of course he’s cheating!” Will whispered conspiratorially a ways off. The muttered words, however, caught Merlin’s attention who turned to see Will muttering, “as if there could ever be a fair gamble in this casino! Just you wait, Pendragon! You’ll lose your business and never be able to come back! I can’t wait to see the great Arthur Pendragon crying with his tail between his legs!”

 

Merlin’s eyes widened and his gaze turned towards Arthur worriedly, in time to see him spin the chamber and raise the gun to his head.

 

                “I’ll go first, then.”

 

Tensing up and about to dash up to Arthur, Merlin was stopped in his tracks when Arthur pulled the trigger before he could move and his heart jumped.

 

Nothing happened. Merlin’s shoulders dropped in relief as he let out a sigh.

 

                “Do you mind if I inquire something of you, Pendragon?” Cenred asked as he took the revolver from Arthur. “Why are you so concerned with this boy?” Merlin turned his head to look at Cenred, his gaze flitting between the two men facing off. “If you handed him over and accepted the money, if would be both safer and more profitable for you. What reason could you possibly have to take these risks?”

 

Hearing this, Arthur’s mind was pulled back to a memory from four years earlier; of a soft gaze and kindness from a stranger, his saving grace. There was a click of the gun before it passed hands over to Arthur once more. “I have a reason.” He said simply. He turned to lock gazes with Merlin, “although it seems you don’t remember at all, Merlin.” He raised the gun slowly, “But this time,” _click_ “I’ll save you.”

 

               “What’s he talking about?” Will whispered loudly over to Merlin. “There’s no way you guys knew each other before, is there?”

 

                “I.. don’t know,” Merlin answered truthfully.

 

Will scoffed, “he must be so nervous he’s going crazy!” They watched as the gun clicked for Cenred once more.

 

                “But,” Merlin put a finger to his lips thoughtfully. He stopped and saw the familiar band-aid on his finger just as Arthur’s voice said, “one bullet left for each of us.”

 

                “The next shot will determine the winner,” Cenred agreed. Merlin saw Arthur’s own band-aid covered hand reaching out for the gun. He recalled how earlier that day, he had offered them to Arthur in return when Arthur had told him to cover up his cut from the broken glass.

 

                “The next shot will really be the end… of your life!” Will muttered gleefully.

 

                “I’ve got to stop him,” the words left Merlin’s mouth before he knew it.

 

                “Huh? ‘Stop him’?” Will repeated, turning to Merlin incredulously. “Just let him be! He’ll definitely lose! Don’t you think he deserves it? He put you through hell, didn’t he?” Will had an arm on Merlin’s shoulder, jostling him as if to snap him out of his illusions.

 

                “But…” Merlin’s lips pursed at the memory of Arthur’s unexpected care. “He was kind. He was very kind to me!” He pulled out of Will’s grip and ran forwards. Quickly, he wrapped his hands around Arthur’s stalling the man from raising the gun. “Arthur! Don’t shoot!”

 

Arthur’s watched on in surprise as Merlin continued, “please, stop! This gun…” behind him, Will cursed at the stupidity of Merlin’s actions.

 

                “You…” Arthur watched Merlin speechlessly before raising his free hand to stroke across Merlin’s prominent cheekbones. “That’s the first time you’ve said my name.”

 

Just realizing it himself, Merlin’s eyes widened as well. He didn’t move even as Arthur did.

 

                “One more time…” he asked softly. Then, the arm holding the revolver wrapped around the curve of Merlin’s back, the other sliding into Merlin’s dark hair as he bent his neck and pressed his lips to Merlin’s.

 

Around them the occupants of the room were in various states of shock. Cenred was openly gaping, as was Will who stuttered out incoherent, choked noises. Even Leon and Percival were staring in disbelief.

 

Pulling away in shock, Merlin’s hands were on Arthur’s shoulder and chin, pushing him off slightly. “Wait, what are you doing!” he asked, even as a blush rose in his cheeks in embarrassment. “Arthur!”

 

                “Say it again…” Arthur pushed forwards, hardly even noticing Merlin’s poor attempts at pushing him off. Merlin’s mouth opened to call out Arthur’s name and Arthur caught his chin, pulling him in for another kiss. He kept their lips pressed against each other chastely, not going further.

 

When Merlin stopped trembling from trying to push Arthur off and the embarrassment of Arthur kissing him in front of so many people, he mumbled against the lips pressed against his, “let go… mmph.”

 

His face burned when Arthur pulled back indulgently only to kiss his temple softly and say, “just sit back and watch. I’ve got damn good luck.” Arthur pulled away and looked into Merlin’s flushed face. “Especially today, I don’t feel like losing at all.”

 

                “B-but…” Merlin protested, horrified nonetheless at Arthur wanting to continue.

 

His head bowed when Arthur placed a reassuring hand on his head, “I’m telling you it’s okay.” Arthur put the revolver by his temple and smiled, “I will protect you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta-ed! All mistakes are my own.


	5. Relatives

The gun cocked in slow-motion for Merlin, whose heart was thundering in his chest. Cenred smirking at the side. A loud _click_ followed, and Merlin gasped softly, stunned as he looked up at Arthur’s lounging figure, smirking down at him, “see? Damn good luck, right?”

 

                “That.. that’s impossible!” Cenred shouted. “Pendragon, you bastard! What the hell did you do?”

 

                “‘That’s impossible’?” Arthur repeated, a cruel smile twisting his lips as he stood up. “Sounds like you thought my defeat was inevitable, doesn’t it, Cenred?” He strode forwards , gun still in hand, “I’m sorry it didn’t all go according to your plan.” He held out the gun to Cenred, issuing orders to Leon to take the goods they had won.

 

“You’re coming too, William. Don’t try to run,” he called out, just as William was unsuccessfully attempting to sneak off.

 

                “I get it! I know what you did!” Cenred cut in, pointing at the gun in Arthur’s hands. “You just pretended to put a bullet in there in the beginning, but you didn’t actually load anything!” Cenred smirked as if he had everything figured out.

 

“What a small-minded trick. Don’t think you’re getting out of here…” He stopped abruptly as Arthur cocked the gun and aimed it point-blank at him. “What do you think you’re going?”

 

Arthur reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a familiar red bullet.

 

Laughing, Cenred said, “I knew it! The magazine is empty!” His smile dropped somewhat as Arthur turned deftly around him until he was behind Cenred, one hand over Cenred’s shoulders and another holding the gun to Cenred’s temple.

 

                “Well, that’s not quite true,” Arthur spoke smoothly. “I didn’t load this paint shell, but I _did_ load something else in its place,” he spoke from behind Cenred menacingly. “Do you know what it was?”

 

Cenred tensed, doubtful. He dropped his gaze to the ground where the bullets loaded from earlier had been discarded and silently counted them. _Four.. five…_ “One’s missing. You put in a real bullet?” He exclaimed in shock.

 

Arthur chuckled, “correct.” The suited men around them all stood, shocked as Arthur continued on, “as your reward for answering correctly, I’ll take you out for a little drive.”

 

Manhandling Cenred with him, he pushed past all the guards towards the door. Backed by Leon who watched on closely as he held Cenred at gunpoint to ensure the guard’s cooperation, with Percival dragging Will with them and curling a protective hand around Merlin, they made their way out.

 

                “Pendragon!” Cenred cursed him loudly, yet was unable to do anything.

 

Arthur laughed. “Oh, your happiness is my pleasure. Sounds like we’re going to have ourselves a fun trip!”

 

* * *

 

Putting away the thermometer, Arthur sighed in relief. “You almost gave me a heart attack; collapsing as soon as we got back.”

 

                “Um.. sorry,” Merlin apologized awkwardly.

 

Arthur scoffed, “don’t apologize.” There was a pause before he spoke again, “Merlin.”

 

                “Yes?” Merlin turned to the man sitting by the bedside.

 

                “About Will,” Arthur watched Merlin’s gaze turn down, his lips tightening into a frown. Looking off to the side, Arthur continued, “selling his organs won’t be enough to make up for what he did.” He heard the sound of the comforter rumpling under Merlin’s grip.

 

                “Um,” Merlin interrupted, searching for something to say in protest.

 

                “But,” Arthur himself cut in, standing up and heading towards the door, “just this once, I guess I can forgive him for your sake. Of course, I still expect him to repay me in full.” He turned to shoot a smirk in Merlin’s direction. “With some healthy manual labour.”

 

Disregarding that last comment, Merlin’s face broke out in a relieved smile as he sighed, “thank you!”

 

Arthur’s jaw tightened and he glowered at the beaming smile on Merlin’s face. Abruptly, he dropped the first-aid kit in his hands and grabbed Merlin, embracing him so suddenly that they both fell back onto the soft bed. “Ah, damn it!” he cursed.

 

“That pisses me off!” His arms tightened around Merlin who gasped in surprise and stuttered, confused. When Arthur paused in his movements, so did Merlin, whose looked sideways at the blonde head by his side curiously.

 

                “I know that to you, blood relatives are beyond just ‘like’ and ‘dislike’,” Arthur’s muffled voice was heard. “But it still pisses me off, seeing you look so happy because of an idiot like Will.”

 

Merlin’s brows drew up incredulously at Arthur’s odd words.  He didn’t have time to comment before Arthur was already drawing back, looking into Merlin’s eyes as he said, “can’t it be me? Can’t I too, become ‘family’? If you live here with me…”

 

Perplexed, Merlin looked up at Arthur and muttered, unsure, “but…”

 

                “It’s true that we’re complete strangers,” Arthur continued. “But your parents were once strangers to each other too. So… even if there are no blood ties, people can become family, can’t they?”

 

Eyes softening at the words of the man before him, Merlin thought to himself how lonely Arthur must be; not knowing the bond of a family. He smiled quietly and replied, “yes”. He was caught by surprise when Arthur began to lean in, mumbling Merlin’s name.

 

“Wha- wait! Um, oh; yes!” Merlin babbled, turning his head hastily to the side and bringing up his hands in a placating manner. When Arthur seemed to pull back obligingly, Merlin said, “there’s something I’d like you to tell me.”

 

                “What is it?”

 

                “We’ve.. met before, haven’t we?” asked Merlin, gripping Arthur’s arm. He was encouraged by the surprised look on Arthur’s face. “Please, tell me. I can’t seem to remember…”

 

                “Well that’s…” Arthur pondered it for a moment, before pushing himself off and turning his back to Merlin decisively. “I won’t tell you.” Merlin let out a confused noise before he continued, “You have to remember things like this on your own, or else there’s no meaning to it.

 

                “What? But,” Merlin protested weakly.

 

                “No buts,” Arthur turned to look at Merlin. “How about this; if you manage to remember on your own, I’ll call this even,” he held out a pile of papers in front of Merlin.

 

                “What’s.. this?” he looked at the papers, thoroughly confused.

 

                “Your debt, of course,” replied Arthur simply. He let go of the papers so that Merlin could look them over. “Even if Will pays off his own share, the cost of my auction bid for you still remains,” Arthur sat down on the side of the bed.

 

Head shooting up, Merlin protested, “Huh? But after yesterday’s gamble, you were repaid…” He stopped short when Arthur leaned in intimidatingly, smiling and snatching back the papers.

 

                “That was money _I_ earned myself by sticking my own neck out,” he smiled. “It has no relation to your debt.” He took a moment to savour Merlin’s worried frown. “By the way, interest is ten for ten.”

 

                “Ten.. for ten?” the words were echoed unsurely.

 

                “That means ten percent interest every ten days,” Arthur never enjoyed his job as much as he did right now, playing with Merlin as he spoke. “The first interest payment is deducted from the principal on the first day of the loan, so if you were to borrow one million, two hundred thousand from me, the actual debt is one million, three hundred and twenty thousand pounds.

 

“The interest after ten days is a hundred and thirty thousand pounds, after twenty days it’s a hundred and forty six thousand and three hundred pounds,” he rattled out easily, watching Merlin’s face closely all with a smug smile on his lips.

 

“In other words, after thirty days, the interest alone is five hundred and seventy-two thousand pounds. It’s expected that the customer pay at least the interest every ten days, _but_ , I’ll make a _special_ exception for you.” He chuckled, “you should be happy! I sliced off quite a fraction for you. Did you understand that, _Mer_ lin?”

 

Merlin’s face fell and his jaw slackened in despair as he turned to the side and gripped the sheets tightly, “that’s impossible…” he breathed despondently. “An amount that large…”

 

                “Don’t worry,” Arthur spoke blithely, causing Merlin’s face to look up at him. Arthur lavished in the spark of hope in Merlin’s eyes as he slid a hand under Merlin’s chin, bringing his face up. He wrapped another arm around Merlin as he pulled the younger man in and spoke against his lips, “You’ve already got yourself a very lucrative job, remember?”

 

He loomed over Merlin’s wide-eyed face, lips curling in their usual arrogant manner, “as I told you before, I’ll buy sex with you for five thousand pounds each time.”

 

Merlin gasped and started struggling feebly at the feel of Arthur’s steady arm around his back. “Wa- wait! Please, hold on a minute!”

 

Unperturbed by Merlin’s futile wriggling, Arthur manhandled Merlin to press him back into the bed. “Come on now, you did it just fine before,” he uttered silkily, hefting himself up over Merlin, whispering, “you even came so many times…”

 

                “Ah, stop!” Merlin protested, breath shaky and trembling as Arthur began pulling aside his nightshirt and kissing down his chest. “You just said we’d become family! Why are you…”

 

                “You’ve got to keep _strict_ track of your financial affairs,” Arthur replied smoothly, “even with relatives.” He pulled himself up to linger teasingly above Merlin’s lips, watching those quivering pink lips. “Just so you know, ‘five thousand each times’ means _my_ each time.”

 

                “Wha-- Uh!” Merlin’s objections were cut off as Arthur teased his long neck and drew a hand slowly down the length of Merlin’s body. “Hha.. unh-- ah…”

 

* * *

 

 

_I’ve told him my feelings, had sex with him, and we live together… but I have no peace of mind._

 

There was a knock on the door before Percival’s voice drifted through, “boss, Merlin’s here to see you.”

 

                “Let him in,” Arthur called out before returning to his stressful pondering. _And the reason why is…_ He thought about the sequence of events so far: _1\. Sex (Rape), 2. Living together (Confinement), 3. Confession (at least he thought he did)… because in my case, the events were wildly out of order._

 

He looked up at the sound of the door opening and welcomed Merlin, “sorry to keep you waiting. What do you want for lunch?” He placed a hand on Merlin’s shoulder.

 

                “Oh.. anything is fine,” Merlin answered passively.

 

Arthur frowned and moved forwards, pulling Merlin closer to him, looking down at Merlin’s quiet form achingly. Outside, Leon’s muttered voice could be heard saying, “You can’t go inside. The boss is about to…”

 

                “Out of my way!” A painfully familiar, stubborn voice cut him off. The door was thrown open once more as the voice continued, “Hey Arthur! When are you finally going to…” Morgana’s voice was halted in a choke as he gasped at the sight before her. “So this is the boy…”

 

Then, lightning quick, she flitted forwards and grabbed Merlin’s chin, pulling it to face her as she studied him intently. “Oh? This is an unexpected type for you…” she murmured more to herself than anything. She leaned in, watching Merlin’s adorably confused face blinking at her unsurely.

 

She admired the stunning blue hue of his eyes when she noted, “but he _is_ undeniably cute.” She smirked as her comment caused a blush to rise up indignantly on Merlin’s face as he jerked away belatedly and stuttered in protest at her demeaning comment.

 

“Oh, my!” she abruptly stepped back and waved a hand delicately. “I’ve forgotten to introduce myself!” She whipped out a business card from one of her pockets and slid it into Merlin’s fingers. “Here’s my card.”

 

                “Morgana… Gorlois?” Merlin read off the card.

 

                “Would you like to work at my place?” Morgana asked, her face serious as she spoke fron inches within Merlin’s own. “I run a club in the second district…”

 

Her words were drowned out by Arthur’s loud exclamation, “Shut your mouth Morgana, you witch!” even as he pulled her away from Merlin.

 

Morgana escaped from Arthur’s grasp, touching her shoulder in exaggerated pain from his manhandling, glaring daggers at him in return, “ow! What’s the big deal, Arthur! Just let me borrow him for a little while!”

 

                “I will _not_ lend him to you!” Arthur rebuked with a vengeance. “I’ll throw you off this five-story building, you depraved hag!”

 

                “What is this; pot calling the kettle black, you homo!” Morgana spat back acidly.

 

                “Who is?!”

 

                “Huh? You’re not?” Merlin’s horrified voice caught both their attentions. They both turned to look at Merlin’s blushing face asking Arthur, “then why did you.. do _that_ to.. with me?”

 

The entire room looked blankly at Merlin in response and he endured a scant few seconds of silence before he realized his own exclamation and his face burned-red in utter embarrassment.

 

Morgana raised a hand to her lips and muttered, “what an interesting boy. _Just_ the kind of talent I want!”

 

Even Leon and Percival, by the door, stood stunned as their gazes flew from Merlin’s red face to Arthur’s scowl, jaw tight. Morgana took that opportunity to speak up to Merlin.

 

                “Arthur’s as straight as they come,” she told him “He’s the kind of man that wouldn’t admit that transsexuals have human rights!” She smiled darkly in self-satisfaction at Arthur’s dilemma. “And yet here he is, getting hot over a boy. I just have to bow down to the one that did this to him!”

 

                “Cut the bullshit! I’m still not gay!” Arthur barked out angrily.

 

                “Then what were those _things_ you did with him?”

 

                “That’s different! He’s special!”

 

They were interrupted from their arguing when Leon called out to Arthur. “Boss, Lancelot is on the line.”

 

                “Morgana, you hag! Hurry up and leave! Merlin’s terrified of--”

 

                “Oh dear, look at the time,” Morgana was saying to Merlin as she checked her watch. “I’m sorry, I really must be going. It was a pleasure to talk to you,” she smiled and placed a friendly hand on Merlin’s shoulder.

 

Merlin smiled brightly in return, “the pleasure was all mine, miss Gorlois.”

 

Arthur’s jaw dropped. “Hold it right there, Morgana!”

 

* * *

 

 

“Huh? How did I get him to like me?” Morgana repeated in confusion. “He’s a very friendly boy!”

 

                “‘Friendly’?” Arthur repeated, not sure who Morgana was talking about.

 

Giggling, Morgana pointed out, “he does seem to be rather quiet, so it’s necessary to relax him of his nervousness…”

 

                “If I could do that, I wouldn’t be struggling!” Arthur ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

 

Morgana hummed to herself, satisfied. “Hah! This must be retribution for using and discarding all those women before. It’s good that you got a taste of your own medicine at the hands of someone unaffected by your face, body or money. “Well, it’s a mystery what remains of you if one takes those three things away, but…”

 

                “What?” Arthur growled.

 

              “Oh, I know!” Morgana piped up, putting her hands together pleasantly. “I’ll bring something good by for you later.”

 

                “What… what is it?” Arthur asked suspiciously, extending a hand. “Hand it over now.”

 

                “It’s a _se_ cret!” Morgana danced out of his way. “Later, okay?” She spun nimbly past Merlin and placed a teasing kiss on his cheeks before gliding off with Arthur’s shouts after her.

 

Merlin merely raised an unthinking hand to his cheek, watching on inquisitively.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta-ed! Any mistakes are my own.


	6. Pet Care

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot of scene-jumping in this one..

“‘Come in handy’ my ass!” Arthur scoffed. “That witch was playing with me.” He let out a loud sigh, glaring at the book in his hands. On it was an - not that he’d ever admit it - adorable picture of a hamster, looking content as it nibbled on a treat. The title written boldly across it read: _How to (Gently) Care for Small Animals_.

 

Looking at it tugged a corner of Arthur’s lips in slight amusement when he thought, _at least I’m not the only one who thinks Merlin is like one of these animals… Maybe it’s because he looks so harmless, what with his stick-figure body that looks like it could snap under a strong wind, and those stunning eyes._

 

With nothing else to do, he lazily flipped through the book, eyes glancing over the small sections of text.

 

Properly Taming Your Pet - Day 1

_The animal is likely feeling acute stress from being placed in a new environment._

_Do not touch him. Just let him be._

_Because his body is small and delicate, you must never use violence._

Arthur’s face shadowed over immediately, recalling how he had practically raped Merlin on the first day. _This is completely hopeless!_ He thought, grimacing.

 

                “Welcome back…” Merlin had entered the living room, just spotting Arthur there. He flinched away in surprise though, when Arthur burst out, “damn it, this book is useless!” throwing it violently onto the ground.

 

“Merlin! You were here?” The words slipped out in surprise. He froze at the sudden spike of fear evident in Merlin’s eyes and turned away, feeling guilty for scaring him like that - accidently or not.

 

 _‘You must never use violence’_ , the words from the book seemed to echo in his mind in what sounded suspiciously like Morgana’s voice. “Th-there was a cockroach… on the floor…” He muttered lamely.

 

                “Oh,” Merlin let out a somewhat relieved sigh that Arthur hadn’t been aiming that book at him. “Really? Even though this place is so clean…” He babbled on unconsciously until sighting the pastel-coloured book still lying on the ground, looking sorely out of place in Arthur’s immaculate home. “Oh, what’s this book..?” He reached down to retrieve it carefully.

 

                “Uh.. Morgana gave it to me.”

 

Looking at the title, Merlin asked excitedly, “could it be you’re thinking of keeping a pet?”

 

Arthur stared at him, mouth opening as he made a sound that was neither an affirmative nor negative. _I can’t tell him I’m using it as a reference on how to gain his affection…_

                “Um, is it okay if I take a look at this?”

 

Snapping out of his thoughts, he nodded dumbly, brows raised, at Merlin who smiled softly and flicked through the book thoughtfully. Seeing the images included, Merlin’s smile widened as he looked fondly at the pictures, whispering to himself about how cute the pets looked.

 

Getting over the sudden urge to go bring back a pet hamster or something for Merlin, Arthur thought, _ah damn it! Why does he have to look so damned gorgeous!_ His fingers twitched by his side even as he grit his teeth, eyes still drinking in Merlin’s happy expression. _I want to touch him… and…_ He licked his lips.

 

However, just as he was about to lay a hand across Merlin’s unsuspecting form, he froze. Morgana’s voice cut in through the haze of his mind once more; _‘On the first day, do not touch him. Just let him be._ ’

 

Arthur’s jaw clenched so hard his teeth were creaking under the stress in protest. Before he did anything else, he quickly turned away from the sight and bit out, “I’m going to go by the office. You should get some sleep.”

 

                “What?” Merlin looked up, surprised and confused at the same time.

 

Clenching his fist and resolutely refusing to look back, Arthur repeated, “just go to sleep”, unintentionally harsh. _If I stay here with him, there’s no way I’ll be able to stop myself from taking him!_

 

* * *

 

 

Tidying up the boss’ office, Percival spotted an unusual book on the desk. Picking it up curiously, he flipped through the pages.

 

Day 2

_The animal is still not used to his surroundings._

 

Reading just one line, Percival frowned, this his brows rose in utter confusion.

 

* * *

 

 

“Merlin,” Arthur called out from behind him as Merlin was wiping steadily at the freshly-cleaned dishes.

 

Turning at the sound of his name, Merlin looked at Arthur standing in the doorway expectantly.

 

Morgana’s voice rattled on in Arthur’s head, _call his name gently_. Seeing Merlin respond, he stared for a moment before turning and walking off. Just as he had passed the door, he remembered something and leaned back into the frame.

 

                “I’m going to be at the office late again tonight, so go ahead and have dinner without me.”

 

Baffled, Merlin simply answered, “oh, okay.”

 

* * *

 

 

_And a few days later…_

                “Welcome back,” Merlin greeted automatically, noting “you came home early today.”

 

                “No, I just came back for a change of clothes,” Arthur refuted casually. “I’ll be heading back to the office once I’m done.”

 

                “Oh… I see…” Merlin mumbled.

 

Turning around, Arthur called Merlin’s name to get his attention. Once Merlin’s eyes had met his, Arthur raised a hand cautiously, before placing it gently on Merlin’s shoulder, squeezing softly, hoping to come off as comforting and good-natured, like when he’d clapped a hand over Leon or Percival’s shoulders. _After a few days have passed, he will allow you to touch him_. _Do so gently, so as to slowly accustom him to physical contact._

 

Tapping Merlin’s shoulder once more, Arthur nodded firmly and swiveled around to retreat into his room. Having a few seconds of blank staring, Merlin hurriedly followed him but was stopped by Arthur’s closed door.

 

On the other side, Arthur was valiantly resisting his desire to punch something. _During this time, you must not chase after him forcefully,_ Morgana’s voice was definitely mocking him. Is it possible for her to be enjoying his suffering from wherever-the-hell she was right now?

 

* * *

 

 

 _The trick is never to surprise him_ , Percival’s eyes were drawn to a hand-written scribble at the corner of the page that said: _No interest in accessories; is pleased with food but not thrilled. Actually likes alcohol quite a bit_.

 

Recognizing the boss’ immaculate penmanship, Percival exited the office quietly, contemplative. Over at the other side of the room, Leon was looking over some papers on a clipboard. Percival spoke - more to himself really - out loud, “hey leon… do mice and rabbits there days drink alcohol?”

 

                “Huh? What nonsense are you talking about, Perce?”

 

* * *

 

 

_Even more later…_

 

                “Welcome back,” Merlin greeted as Arthur toed off his shoes. “Are you going back to work again tonight?”

 

                “No, not tonight,” he glanced over at Merlin. _Your steady dedicated will surely bear fruit._ “I’ve already finished everything I need,” Arthur plastered on an uncomfortable smile as he clapped Merlin on the shoulder as he passed. _He will begin to feel deep affection for you_.

 

Seeing that Merlin seemed much less inclined to tip-toe around his warily nowadays, Arthur thought to himself, _it’s true that my effects have borne fruit, but I paid for these results with days of abstinence. In other words, at this rate I’ll never be able to carry this to a physical relationship!_

Anger simmering from his helpless feeling at this slow progress, he ground his teeth in annoyance, _there’s no point in that!_

 

                “Shall I make something for dinner?” Merlin asked hesitantly.

 

                “Hmm, maybe something light to go with some drinks,” agreed Arthur, mind already plotting as his lips curled into an undetectable smirk. “You should have some too.”

 

                “Oh um, well, maybe just a little,” Merlin conceded, considering that this was the first time in days Arthur would be spending dinner at home. “I’ll start preparing something now.” Merlin shot him a pleased smile before disappearing into the kitchen.

 

 _Now isn’t the time to aim for being a gentle owner!_ Arthur merely glanced back at him with a smirk. _Tonight, I will definitely have him. I just have to make sure he doesn’t suspect anything…_

 

* * *

 

 

Depositing Merlin’s lax body onto the bed, Arthur chuckled as he heard Merlin mumble, “just a little more… I can still drink…”

 

                “Hey, don’t fall asleep yet,” Arthur chastised, climbing over Merlin. A fond smile pulled on his lips unconsciously. He reached down to trace a finger across Merlin’s slightly chapped lips before taking advantage of his pliable state to lean down and seal their lips together.

 

His hands reached under Merlin’s loosened shirt and slid it up his smooth skin before pausing to play with a nipple. Encouraged by the soft sighs from Merlin, he rucked up the shirt higher so as to be able to freely run his hands across the younger man’s torso; even as he pressed a nose to the pale column of Merlin’s neck, running his own lips lightly across the skin.

 

Both shy and shivering at the tender touch, Merlin turned his head to side - giving Arthur more room. He was rewarded by Arthur running his hot tongue up Merlin’s neck, to which elicited a louder moan from Merlin, trembling as heat - combined with the warmth already caused by the alcohol - began to spread across his body.

 

Eyeing Merlin’s flushed face, Arthur retreated from his neck and moved slightly lower. Keeping his heated gaze on Merlin’s softly panting face, his tongue slithered out to flick at one of Merlin’s nipples before his lips sealed over the pink nub; sucking and tongue twirling.

 

With a soft gasp, Merlin’s hands shot up to wrap around Arthur’s neck as he submitted to the shivers wracking his lean frame. “Ah! Th-there…”

 

Pulling off, Arthur asked, “do you like it here?” in a low voice, husky from his arousal.

 

A blush rose to his face but in his blissful state, Merlin simply smiled up at Arthur and answered in an affirmative, reaching out one of his hands to stroke at Arthur’s golden hair gently.

 

Arthur froze, watching Merlin lying there so relaxed, _and he usually makes such a show of not wanting it!_ he thought, feeling betrayed. A tender smile from Merlin caused his thoughts to disappear just as the other man spoke.

 

                “Thank goodness,” Merlin breathed out, the alcohol obviously making him believe that he wasn’t _actually_ saying anything. “I thought… that maybe you had been avoiding me.”

 

Surprised by this turn of events, Arthur cocked his head in question, “what?”

 

                “We always eat separately… and even when you come back you’d immediately go off again…”

 

                “Oh. Well, that was…”

 

                “Will you say it again?” Merlin cut in.  Arthur hummed in confusion at the subject change. “A few days ago… you said I was special.”

 

Arthur blinked. _What’s he… Oh!_ He remembered now; it was back when Merlin had just met Morgana, and Arthur had unthinkingly said that his affections for Merlin did not make him gay.

 

                “I’ve always felt a little uncertain…” Merlin was continuing, “but when you said that, I…” He smiled at the memory. “Will you say it again?” he repeated like a small child seeking praise.

 

                “Oh,” Arthur sat up thinking to himself; _More than all of my effort these past few days, a single word I said unthinkingly..?_ “You’re special,” he finally spoke, with firm conviction.

 

Merlin’s face brightened and he smiled unguardedly, childishly asking, “again!”

 

Chuckling, Arthur shook his head and obliged, “you’re special, Merlin. Very special. In a lot of ways.”

 

Feeling drowsy now from his lightheadedness, Merlin curled up on his side, mumbling, “mmm… what does that mean?”

 

Leaning down, Arthur curled around Merlin’s frame and kissed the junction between his neck and shoulder softly, “well, there’s this…” he teased. He spoke aloud, more to himself than anything, as he leisurely slipped Merlin’s rumpled clothing off, enjoying every new patch of skin being revealed.

 

“Anyway, I’ve learned my lesson from this. I’m done with weird tricks or forced endurance,” he smiled, hefting himself up over Merlin once more, hands by Merlin’s head. “It seems that straightforward expressions of affection are the most efficient.”

 

Hardly coherent enough to take in all of Arthur’s words, Merlin merely watched him curiously until Arthur leaned down and proceeded to suck on Merlin’s neck, hands trailing up Merlin’s thigh. Thoughts efficiently eliminated, Merlin could only gasp at the sudden arousing touches and begin writhing at the feel of Arthur’s warm hands mapping his body proprietorially.

 

* * *

 

 

“What? You threw it away?” Morgana whined, purposefully annoying. “You didn’t have to be so cruel, Arthur! You trampled all over my good will.”

 

                “‘Good will’ my ass!” Arthur scoffed, not deigning to look at Morgana as he read through the latest reports. “You were just using it to make a fool out of me.”

 

Morgana harrumphed and turned away, theatrically insulted, “you always take my intentions the wrong way.”

 

                “Well, you weren’t totally off the mark, I’ll admit,” Arthur admitted, causing her to freeze with wide eyes. “But I’ve learned to just be natural and take things as they come.”

 

With narrowed, suspicious eyes, Morgana glanced back at Arthur. _You seriously read it? What an idiot!_ She thought, internally laughing already at the mere thought. Sobering quickly, _wait, is this really the kind of guy Arthur is? This must be Merlin’s influence! Hm… I see he’s a formidable boy._

 

On that line of thought, she piped up inquiringly, “hey, where _is_ dear Merlin?” She turned just in time to see a positively Cheshire-cat grin twist Arthur’s lips.

 

                “Still in bed,” he answered, amused. “He’s got a hangover.” _Now, when to give him alcohol again…_

 

* * *

 

 

Pulling the duvet over his head and curling miserably into the soft pillows, Merlin’s hands were pressing futilely at his temples; attempting to soothe the spiking pains rippling through his head. “I’m never drinking again,” Merlin grumbled pitifully to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta-ed! Any mistakes are my own.


End file.
